TASTING MENU AT CATALAN ROSEWOOD HOTEL

What is a Tasting Menu? a tasting menu offers several dishes with small portions. A french term for Menu tasting is Menu Degustion. Tasting Menu is offered in restaurants to provide a sample of house specialties. 

I've always wanted to try CATALAN at Rosewood Hotel as they have two Michellin Star Chef Antonio Saez. They offer a tasting menu plus carefully selected wines that goes along with it. It is the first Catalonian restaurant in Abu Dhabi which is from the northeastern region of Spain. 

CHEF ANTONIO SAEZ

The place is small and very intimate probably only caters to not more than 50 people as they want the place to be really intimate and I believe it doesn't compromise the preparation of food for a specialized chef.

CATALAN ROSEWOOD HOTEL ABU DHABI

They have 2 kinds of tasting menu. One is priced at 345AED plus 175AED for wine pairing or 275 with connoisseur wine. It comes with a starter, main and dessert

The next tasting menu is chef Antonio's 7 course tasting menu which is priced at 495 plus 275 wine pairing and 375 with connoisseur wine.

We tried the Catalan Tasting menu priced at 345 plus wine.

They serve a house bread with a glass of champagne.

Then they served a pumpkin hummus

Followed by the Roasted Steak of FOIE GRAS that comes with baked capsicum, eggplant in extra virgin olive oil that is served on toast. 

FOIE GRAS

I am not a fan of wines nor a wine connoisseur  but the wines they serve in each meal are so refreshing on the palette that doesn't have any "disgusting" (excuse my language) bitter taste

Then comes the Seafood Paella which comes in really small portion but very filling.  My friend enjoyed the seafood paella but for me I really enjoyed the FOIE GRAS

SEAFOOD PAELLA

They served the beef tenderloin which they will ask you in the beginning how you like it cooked.
I prefer medium rare. The beef is a bit dry which we didn't enjoy much and asked extra sauce for it.

BEEF TENDERLOIN

My favorite part is always the dessert. I feel every meal is not complete without it. A must try in this restaurant is Extra Virgin Olive Oil Ice Cream which has cardamon soup and pistachio biscuit. 

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL ICE CREAM

I know what you're thinking, what is an olive oil doing in the dessert? Well it taste like a dulce de leche cake with cardamon soup thats what it exactly taste like.

Service was excellent and the servers were all very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the food and wine.

Complimentary chocolates and biscuit 

I really recommend you to try CATALAN in Rosewood Hotel if you are in Abu Dhabi. A bit pricey but well worth the food experience.

DOOR TO CATALAN

                  BUDGET: For menu tasting: minimum of 500AED per person without wine

                       For Ala Carte: Approximately 600AED for 2 people (main plus dessert)

HAVE YOU TRIED PINK PANDA IN MANILA?

I had a 17 hour layover in my favorite place Manila and of course the main agenda is to try new restaurants in town so I can have great ideas for food presentation. I was supposed to attend this COOKOUT CHALLENGE of ETIHAD AIRWAYS because I want to beat my friend (ANGELINA) who is a chef wannabe!

Going back to my story of my PINK PANDA experience, I really wanted to try it because it is one of the restaurant of this super cool French/Filipino guy ERWAN HEUSSAFF who is very fond of cooking.

I went there with my mom, I had a bit of a hard time going to the place because of traffic and parking was a bit scarce but nevertheless it was worth finding it.

I believe it is one of ERWAN's best restaurant compared to his other restaurants HATCH 22, Hungry Hound, Premio and NINER(i love NINER tho).

Pink Panda is a Southeast Asian Diner featuring THAI, VIETNAMESE, INDONESIAN, CHINESE and FILIPINO cuisine.

Located at the G/F Y2 Residence hotel, 4687 Santiago Street Corner B Valdez and Singian streets 2981 Makati. If you still can't find it, just google map it or call them at +639062053898.

Anyway I really love the service at PINK PANDA. The waiters were all attentive and welcoming.

For my drink, I ordered the KOPI PANDA which looks like this….
 

Then we had the super cute Panda Buns which consists of steamed pork buns, mushrooms, salted egg and Siracha Hoissin.

 I love their Prawn and Pork LAKSA which comes with a BUCHI dessert. But I asked the waiter to kindly remove the pork and put fish instead since I am not a PORK FAN.

                                                         very yummy laksa

I am craving for some more cargo loading that time so I ordered the Crab Fried Rice as well which consists of yellow rice, crab meat, green peas, broccoli and peppers.

Then for my vegetables I tried the TAHU TELUR which consists of soft tofu, crunchy eggs, shredded cucumber, keycap garlic manis.

I really enjoyed their variety of Americano coffee. I picked the subtle coffee chocolate flavored bean coffee.

With Mom

I enjoyed our lunch. The food and service were excellent, just the location was a bit of a drag. But overall experience was awesome.

MINIMUM BUDGET: 1500 PHP for 2 people.

HAKKASAN ABU DHABI

Have you tried a Michelin star restaurant? Well if not then you better try HAKKASAN, a world renowned Michelin star restaurant that offers a unique modern Chinese Cuisine. The restaurant is glamorous, very modern with the Asian contemporary ambiance, ambitious cooking plus excellent service.

Hakkasan have branches around the world, they have in London, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha and Mumbai.

If you pass by Abu dhabi, Hakkasan is a must try restaurant located West wing of the 7 star Hotel Emirates Palace.

I've been in this restaurant 3 times already and they have the best view and the best Chinese food plus unique cocktails if you feel like having drinks with your friends.

I love the their bar area because the lighting is very cool in the eye and the place is not suffocating, you won't feel that it is crowded. They have excellent ventilation so you won't feel that someone is smoking.

The restaurant have terrace where you can wine and dine and have a great view of the Etihad Towers and is usually occupied already, so better make reservation especially if you want to sit outside. We were lucky one time that there was an available table outside even without reservation but most of the time it is full.

The foods that I always order here which are already a personal favorite are the 

Fried vegetable dumpling

HAKKA hand pulled noodle with mushroom and chive

Duck spring roll (super delicious)

A bottle of Shiraz from South Africa won't hurt to go along with your meal 

THE HAKKA (Belvedere Vodka, Sake, Lychee Juice, lime, coconut and passion fruit)

ROSE PETAL MARTINI

(Martini Rose Syrup, Tanqueray No.10 Gin, Lychee Liqueur, Parfait amour and peach bitters)

If money is no objection for you then you can try this whisky shot for 10,000 aed (100k pesos) per shot…CRAZY PRICE I know..

Or 

some unique pear tequila from France 

Great place to wine and dine with friends

MINIMUM BUDGET: 250AED per person (starter, main plus drink)

HAKKASAN EMIRATES PALACE ABU DHABI